Please Write Back
by Jtoasn
Summary: Harry remembers the pen pal he had as a child. The initial spark of an idea, which led to 'Inside Your World' I should have left it as a one shot.


**Please Write Back**

Harry James Potter . 1987 . Age 7 .

"Today we'll be starting to finish those pen pal letters that we were writing last week, so take out your sheets of paper and start writing" their teacher said, "Now don't forget those slips of paper that we handed out last week, that has your pen pals name on it"

"What do we write about?"

The teacher smiled and clapped her hands, "Anything you want to write about. Hobbies, interests, pets… try and ask questions so that they can write back the answers"

Harry tapped his fingers on the table and smiled; he put his pen to the paper and started to write.

{Dear Amelia,

My name is Harry, I'm 7 years old and I go to Surrey Elementary.}

Harry paused here, what else could he say. He looked over at his cousin and grimaced as he saw him putting gum in the girl's hair that sat in front of him.

{I live with my aunt and uncle, and my cousin. Dudley. He's a bully– }

He scratched the last bit out; he didn't want the teacher to report that to the school. He sighed deeply.

"Ask questions, do they have pets? What's they're favourite song? Favourite colour? Oh Marie, you spell allergic with two l's"

{I wish I had a cat or a dog, but my aunt doesn't like them very much. Do you have any pets?}

He sighed, and put up his hand "Miss?"

"Yes?" the teacher asked, "Mr, er… Potter?"

"How long does it have to be?" he asked timidly.

"Not very long at all, write what you can and if you're happy with it go and pick an envelope from the box on the table and seal your letter" she said, looking around the class, "We'll send them over tonight and then hopefully in a couple of days we'll get a response"

Harry looked around at the other kid's letters, they were all much longer than his and he looked back at the 3 lines he had written. Putting his head on the table he wondered why he couldn't think of anything else to write.

"That's the bell, finish your sentences and get your lunch from your bags"

Harry raised his hand, "Miss, can I stay in here for lunch? I haven't finished"

The teacher nodded, "Of course Mr. Potter… but be sure to eat some lunch and to seal your letter when you're done"

"Can I have another piece of paper?"

"Of course" she said, "Take as many as you need"

Sitting back down at his seat, he scrunched up the first piece of paper; he re-wrote his name and the date. Scratching his nose he started to think about what he should write, he's never had a real friend before, and maybe Dudley wouldn't be able to ruin this for him.

Chapter Two

August 1987

{Dear Amelia, my name's Harry and I go to Surrey elementary. I don't have any brothers or sisters; I live with my aunt and uncle and cousin Dudley. We used to have a pet fish, because my aunt doesn't like big pets, but Dudley killed it when he tried to feed it popcorn. I'd like to write to you. Please write back. –Harry}

[Dear Harry, I'm Amelia. Hello. I don't have any pets either; my grandmother's allergic to animals, and we don't have any flowers either, she's got asthma. My teacher says that I should write you and ask you about your favourite colours. Mine's blue. My grandma says that I'm a girl and should like the colour pink, but I don't. Please write back. –Amelia]

November 1987

{Amelia, I'm sorry to hear about your broken arm. I hope you can get better soon. I've never had a broken arm before, I've sort of wished for one so that people can sign the cast, but I don't have many friends. It's starting to get colder now, and schools nearly finished. What do you think you'll do for the holidays? Please write back. -Harry}

[Harry, this is the third time I've broken my arm. My grandma thinks that I climb trees too much, I've always liked heights. I'd let you sign my cast, but in the meantime I'll write your name down anyway. I'm lucky that it was my right arm. Did I tell you that I'm left handed? Grandma says that I can give you my home address so that we can write during the holidays. Do you think your aunt and uncle would mind? Please write back. -Amelia]

{Amelia. I don't know if they'll mind. I'll give you mine anyways so that we can write. If I don't write back we'll talk when school starts again, but I don't know if we'll keep the pen-pals going until school ends. Is it hard to write with your left hand? I've tried it before but it just ends up looking really messy. Please write back. -Harry}

December 1987

{Harry. Merry Christmas. I hope this got to you on time. Grandma says that the stamps will help because the school isn't sending the letters anymore. I'm glad that you wrote back, I was worried that you wouldn't. I hope you like your present! -Amelia}

[]

[The news is terrible, I keep hearing about the unexplained deaths in your suburbs. Please be careful. I wish I was there to help you, but I can't go anywhere. Amelia, I really care about you. Please be careful. Please write back. –Harry]

[I haven't heard from you in a month. Please write back. - Harry]

Harry stood in the ashes of the house, it was dilapidated and destroyed.

"Harry, are you okay?"

Stepping over the threshold he looked at the torn down walls, even though he had never been in the house before he knew everything about it. The photos, the staircase and as he looked at the doorframe his fears were realised.

Amelia, age 12.

Amelia, age 8.

"Harry?" Ginny asked worried, "What's wrong?"

Shaking his head he ran up the stairs, her room was the one with the dark blue door. Now burnt and falling apart on the hinges he stepped forward and pushed it back.

He pulled the shoebox out from under the bed and opened it; tears welled up behind his eyes as he recognized his handwriting, from when he was 7 years old.

His hand skimmed the bottom of the letter, "… please write back"

A tear fell on the last letter that he had sent, he then spotted a newer envelope, one that was still sealed.

With trembling hands he opened it, and took a deep breath. It had been dated on his birthday.

{Harry. I want to wish you a happy birthday. I know all those years I never sent you a proper birthday card or anything, but I had hoped that maybe next year we'll get together and have a real birthday. With a cake and everything for you, but I don't know if it will happen. I get the feeling something bad is about to happen. Something terrible. I keep hearing people in our street talking about gangs that patrol the streets; they have masks and dress in black. I don't know what to do Harry, I'm scared. I really meant to say Harry that ever since we were little I always thought of you as my best friend, you were always there writing to me, and even though we've never met I know that until the day that I die, you'll always be my best friend. Whatever happens, I hope you know that. Thanks for always writing back. -Amelia }

Amelia Pond died on the 31st of July; she was 17 years of age. Her grandmother's body was found in the living room, on her favourite sofa. The girl had been found in the kitchen, she was in the middle of baking a cake when she was killed, the oven erupted and the flames nearly burnt the house to its foundations when the fire crew arrived.

Harry Potter had never told anyone about Amelia and their friendship, he bought the house with Ginny and planted many flowers in the garden, and chrysanthemums were the best that grew there.

And each year on the anniversary of the first letter that they sent decades before, he would pick 6 and leave them on her grave. He would touch the headstone and touch her name engraved on it, the last time that her name would be written.

It was the innocence of youth and the pain that came with hiding a secret that could have saved her, that killed Harry James Potter the most. It killed him knowing, that his life was better because she had been a part of it, and that hers was over because he hadn't told her the biggest part of his life.

And even when he was old and couldn't stand up properly anymore, he would always touch the headstone at her grave and whisper to her, "You were always my best friend. Please write back"

* * *

**Okay, honestly I forgot I had written this, but this little fanfiction here was the inspiration to my story 'Inside your world' and even though I ended it horribly and the ideas didn't flow as nicely as I had planned – this was the idea that sparked it all. **

**It should have finished here.**

**-jtoasn**


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